IT is reported that of the 800 bishops invited to the Lambeth Conference, about 200 have declined.

I am one of those who have said “yes” to the Archbishop of Canterbury’s invitation, because Wales has something to share with the world.

The Lambeth conference of Anglican bishops from across the globe is held every 10 years, so we should make the most of our opportunity.

As a small province within the worldwide Anglican church, what we have to share is an openness and hospitality that says to people, “You are loved by God, without condition”.

We are a church that opens doors rather than closes doors. And it is important to go on saying that in the face of current action which will undoubtedly damage the unity of the church.

The present conflict within the worldwide Anglican church has been building up over many years.

It is now at the point where certain parts of the church are so unhappy with what they see as conformity to the secular liberal culture of developed economies, that they have formed a coalition to rescue people from spiritual decline.

The tipping point was the consecration of a gay bishop in the US diocese of New Hampshire and the blessing of same sex partnerships in Canada.

The Church in Wales is not unmindful of the pain that these decisions have caused to other members of its Anglican family.

We have sympathy with those who want clarity and direction in working out their faith and acknowledge that matters are never that simple or straightforward.

Nevertheless, we should trust other family members to order their own affairs believing that they have acted with prayerfulness and integrity in arriving at their decisions.

They believe passionately that the church should open doors for people to live full and abundant lives.

The crest of the Diocese of St Asaph is the “cross keys”. A key can lock or unlock a door.

So it is not surprising that since earliest Christian times the key has endured as a powerful symbol of what the church finds acceptable or unacceptable.

Whatever those keys represented in the past, they speak to me of the role of faith in unlocking doors that help people move out of the place of imprisonment into a place of freedom.

Unconditional love is not unconditional approval, and behaviour does matter.

The Christian faith does not approve of betrayal, violence, hatred, discrimination and injustice, and all other expressions of evil.

But as has been pointed out in a new book by the Warden of St Deiniol’s Library, Hawarden: “In the eyes of many outside the church, the church’s right to speak out on issues of justice is negated by the lack of justice shown by the church to a significant proportion of its adherents who are gay”.

It is important to say these things, and I am quite sure that I shall not be a lone voice in stating this at Lambeth.

The Lambeth Conference

THE Lambeth conference takes place every 10 years at the invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

It is the one occasion when all Anglican bishops, including those from the Church in Wales, can meet for worship, study and conversation. Archbishops, diocesan, assistant and suffragan bishops are invited.

Also invited are bishops from other churches “in communion” with the Anglican Communion, bishops from United Churches and a number of ecumenical guests.

More than 200 Anglican bishops from conservative dioceses around the world are to boycott the Conference and instead attended a rival Global Anglican Future Conference last month.

Provinces such as Nigeria and Rwanda attended the alternative gathering in Jordan because of their emphasis on a Christianity that rules out many liberal developments such as the increasing acceptance of homosexuality.